


Sweetwater Pines

by Loveandcoffeeandothersimplicities



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Betty Cooper Needs a Hug, Eating Disorders, F/M, Jughead Jones Loves Betty Cooper, Protective Jughead Jones
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:34:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28154688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loveandcoffeeandothersimplicities/pseuds/Loveandcoffeeandothersimplicities
Summary: Treatment. That's all it took to make Betty want to run as far as she could in the opposite direction. Funny, things never do seem to go the way they should. Bughead.
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 16
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

Author's note: -Peeks around corner cautiously; SURPRISE SURPRISE. We back at it my fellow bughead lovers. I'm not even going to say what this one is about. Just read and let me know what you think if your heart so chooses. XXX

Jughead Jones stared at the file he held in his hands, eyes scanning the information about his newest patient.

Name: Elizabeth Pauline Cooper.

Age: 21.

Treatment needed for: Anorexia.

Sighing, Jughead scanned the picture of the young girl he'd be treating. He wasn't much older than her, just three years. Her face was gaunt-like, cheeks so sunken in she looked damn near emaciated. He flicked back a few pages, to the start of her paperwork, and read something that had been bothering him.

Has other addictions.

"Sweet Pea!" Jughead called, poking his head out of his office as his fellow therapist, and best friend, made his way down the hallway. The taller, dark-haired man stopped and looked at him.

"Yeah, Jug?" Sweet Pea asked, making his way over when Jughead beckoned him.

"This girl, Elizabeth, know anything about her?" Jughead asked, showing Sweet Pea her file. Sweet Pea whistled lowly.

"Shit, that's a bad eating disorder," he muttered, staring at her information. Jughead nodded as he waited for more information. Eventually, his friend spoke up. "I'm assuming it's the 'other addictions' part you're curious about? I got information from Topaz about the incoming patients this week. She said a blonde girl had both an eating disorder and struggled with self-harm."

Jughead sighed. Dammit. Nodding, he thanked Sweet Pea as the sounds of the door to the treatment center opened, causing both of them to turn their heads. There were the new patients they had admitted weekly and Jughead's eyes scanned them, looking for his patient in particular. He found her, standing off to the side and observing everything. She had an unreadable expression on her face as two people that Jughead assumed were her parents talked to his dad, FP Jones, the man who ran the clinic. As if sensing his eyes on them, FP looked up and waved him over. Jughead jogged forward, stopping just shy of his dad and the girl's parents.

"Jug, hey. This is Elizabeth Cooper, and these are Hal and Alice Cooper," FP said, voice the usual rough timbre Jughead was used to. Jughead smiled politely at them, looking at first her parents, then Elizabeth herself.

"Elizabeth?" Jughead asked.

"Betty," she said quietly, lips not moving much. Jughead nodded, soft smile tugging at his lips.

"Betty," he corrected himself. "I'm Jughead Jones, your therapist and advisor during your stay at Sweetwater Pines."

Betty didn't say anything.

"Say something, Elizabeth," Alice hissed, and Betty tightened her fists, a movement that didn't go unnoticed by Jughead, before turning to look at him.

"Pleased to be here," she replied, voice still polite. Jughead looked at Alice and Hal.

"I'm going to get Betty settled and let my dad explain how it works. Visitation rights and such," Jughead said.

"For God's sake, Elizabeth, be on your best behavior so you can have your visitation rights," Alice snapped. Jughead quirked an eyebrow at her.

"It's the parents who have to earn the rights, I'm afraid," he said casually. "We want our patients to feel safe and secure, so we make sure no outside…threat, could potentially put them in danger, causing progression to move backwards. Sure you understand, Mrs. Cooper."

He saw a flash of a smirk from Betty out of the corner of his eye and resisted the temptation to smirk himself. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "Come on, I'll show you around." With that, he led her away from her parents, wondering how to begin the conversation.

"Is there a gym here?" Betty asked.

Jughead sighed as he chose his words with care. "There is. I also know you're in for an eating disorder so, unfortunately, you won't be able to use the facility until you've been cleared. Then, after you've been cleared, me or another therapist will need to be with you to make sure you don't over work yourself."

Betty bit her lip, nodding as she opted to remain silent.

"Do you like yoga?" Jughead asked curiously as he led her through the hallways, pointing out various things as they went. Day room, art room, cafeteria. Her look of despondency at the last room had him pausing. "Want to go take a look?"

Betty looked sheepish as she shook her head. "No, thank you. And, uh, to your earlier question. I do like yoga. I'm good at it. It's relaxing."

Jughead nodded, ignoring her sadness about the cafeteria for the time being. "Yeah, it is. We can sign you up for sessions. You won't need to be cleared to do them. I'd just need to be there."

Betty hummed but didn't say anything and he stopped right outside of a door.

"This is your room. You won't have a roommate," Jughead said, and Betty looked at him curiously.

"Why?" Betty asked.

"Your parents paid for you to have your own room," he replied.

Betty scoffed. "Of course. Even here they still have their control."

Jughead made a mental note to ask about that comment during their session later that afternoon. For now, he just showed her around her room, pointing out where she could put her possessions when her things came back from inspection.

"It's not like I have a razor blade," she laughed. "Why did my suitcase need to be looked through, again?"

"It's mandatory," Jughead said, wondering if that's how she harmed herself. With a razor blade. The thought made his stomach hurt. No one should be put through so much pain to the point of that.

"Okay," Betty said quietly, sitting down on her bed and wrapping her arms around her knees. Jughead looked at her arms, noticing how thin they were.

"Lunch is being served in a half hour," he said.

"Coffee an option?" Betty asked hopefully.

"You know it's not," Jughead replied gently. "But, if you work hard on your treatment plan and put on ten pounds over the next two weeks, then it can be."

"I have to go two weeks without coffee?" Betty asked, face aghast.

Jughead chuckled as he shook his head, leaning against her bedroom wall. "No. You just can't only drink coffee. You're not my first rodeo when it comes to a patient having an eating disorder."

"I-I don't," she stumbled over her words, cheeks flamed.

"Betty," Jughead said gently, waiting patiently until she looked up at him. "I'm not judging you. Not in the slightest. Eating disorders don't just magically appear. They're triggered by things. Bullies, stress, a need for control. My job is to figure out what triggered yours' and get you to a good place that you don't feel the need to engage in it."

Betty bit her lip before sighing. "I won't be able to eat much."

"Do you remember the last time you ate?" Jughead asked softly.

"Ten days ago," she said calmly, as if it was normal to her.

"Okay," Jughead replied evenly. "This is what I can do. Half a sandwich, ham and cheese, and a cup of coffee. Black, if that's your preference."

"No cheese?" Betty asked.

Jughead laughed. "Again, not my first rodeo."

She sighed. "Okay. Can I eat in here?"

Jughead thought about it, debating her question for a moment, before agreeing. "Yes. Well, actually, my office. I need to be with you to make sure you actually eat, and I understand it's scary to have a whole cafeteria full of people watching you. So, we can go to my office on the condition you'll eat it."

"It'll take me a while," Betty whispered.

Jughead felt for the woman. He didn't know how, but something told him her living environment hadn't been the easiest. So, he smiled. "I have time."

Author's note: Thoughts? Xxx


	2. Chapter 2

Jughead eventually made his way to the cafeteria, after telling Betty to get changed into comfortable clothes once her suitcase arrived. She had made an offhand comment about meeting the requirements for inspection and he had made a mental note to address why on earth that comment sounded like she had become accustomed to meeting requirements in her life. Where those requirements came from was what he needed to know. Was what he needed to focus on to learn how best to start her treatment plan.

When he was in the cafeteria, he headed into the kitchen, going to grab the half sandwich he promised Betty and the coffee she had wanted. He nodded at Fangs Fogarty, a physical therapist in the treatment facility. He specialized with patients who had injuries from being on different forms of performance enhancers, mainly steroids. The recovery process for those patients was a whole other ball park.

"What do we need today?" Fangs asked, tilting his head towards the premade food they had wrapped.

"Half a ham and cheese sandwich and a black coffee," Jughead said, going to pour the coffee.

"Eating disorder patient?" Fangs asked knowingly, going to grab the sandwich, and placing it on a plate for him. Jughead nodded and accepted the plate.

"One of the worst I've seen in a while," he muttered, before thanking Fangs and heading back to Betty's room. Tapping on the doorframe, he smiled slightly when Betty looked up.

"Food. C'mon, I'll show you to my office," Jughead offered, watching as Betty bit her lip before sighing and following him out of her room. They didn't converse with one another as Jughead led the way to his office, unlocking the door and letting her step inside before he followed in after her. He sat down at his desk after pointing to the couch, indicating she could sit if she wanted to. After hesitating for a moment Betty did, smoothing out her sweater.

Leaning back into his desk chair, Jughead watched as Betty's fingers trembled as she unwrapped the sandwich. He watched as she took a sip of her coffee before staring at her sandwich apprehensively.

"Do you have a favorite book?" Jughead asked, twirling his pen between his index and middle finger.

Betty looked at him curiously before looking back at her sandwich, tearing off a small piece of it and placing it hesitantly into her mouth, chewing slowly. She nodded.

"I do. The Book Thief. Have you read it? Also, anything by Toni Morrison and I'm golden," she smiled slightly, taking another small piece of the sandwich and eating it slowly, following it with a sip of coffee. Jughead didn't make a comment on how small her bites were, just watching cautiously as she ate the sandwich.

"I did read The Book Thief. Heartbreakingly devastating and really beautifully written," he commented, remembering the book. Betty nodded.

"Yeah, it, uh, got me through some dark times," she murmured with a soft laugh. Jughead heard the bitterness woven throughout her laughter and sighed softly.

"Betty, I'm sure you don't want to be here," he began, but she shook her head.

"Actually, being in here is better than being out there. I'm," she paused, choosing her words with care, it seemed. "Safe in here."

Her cheeks were tinted red and Jughead was on alert. He kept his voice controlled and calm when he replied.

"Are you being harmed?" Jughead asked, voice quiet but authoritative; he was used to treating the patients with care but knowing how to address a situation that could be potentially dangerous for them and their safety.

Betty bit her lip, shaking her head slowly.

"Not physically," she said softly.

"Emotionally? Mentally?" Jughead asked.

Betty sighed. "Does it matter?"

Her voice still held the bitterness but there was a tiny bit of hurt too, trying to peak through the mask she was using. Jughead tapped his pen against his desk, looking at the woman across from him thoughtfully.

"It does," he said slowly. "Emotional and mental abuse shape who we are as people. How we view and feel about ourselves. If someone is harming you in those aspects, it takes months if not years to heal."

Betty shrugged a shoulder. "I shouldn't let it bother me so much."

"But that's natural," Jughead replied. She chose not to say anything to that, and his eyes fell to her sandwich, watching as her fingers held it but made no movement to bring it to her mouth. "Another bite, please." It was a gentle command as he nodded his head towards the sandwich. He watched her reaction carefully; watched as her eyes grew pained.

"I can't." The words were a broken whisper.

Jughead stood up from behind his desk and made his way to the couch, crouching down in front of her.

"Betty," he said patiently. "You got to eat. I know you say it's safer in here for you and I understand that. But it won't be safe if you lose any more weight."

Her body shuddered as she sighed.

"She'll be so mad," she whispered, eyes squeezed shut.

"Your mom?" Jughead hazard a guess, remembering the way the older woman had snapped at her daughter when she was being admitted.

"Alice," she snapped, then swallowed. "Sorry. I-I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"Don't be sorry; I'm not," Jughead replied. "Your anger is a good sign. You're addressing one root of the overall problem."

Betty nodded but opted to remain silent; Jughead took that as his cue to continue.

"Alice. Can you tell me about her? After another bite," he instructed. Betty's hands shook as she tore off another tiny piece and placed it into her mouth, chewing slowly.

"She's just a helicopter parent," she said.

"Expects perfection?" Jughead guessed.

"Like you wouldn't even believe," Betty laughed tiredly.

"How long?" Jughead asked softly, once again feeling for his patient.

"As far back as I can remember. I have a best friend. Archie Andrews," Betty said, small smile tugging at her lips.

"Interested in him?" Jughead asked curiously, wanting her to open up.

Betty laughed. "God, no. Never have been. He's way too much like an overbearing protective older brother. His words, by the way. But he always looked after me from the first day we met to now. I was in my front yard the day we met. My mom had told me I couldn't help my dad with working on his car and I was upset so I went to sit outside as that was as much of a tantrum I was allowed to throw." She chuckled, shaking her head with a slight scoff. "Anyways, this redhead little boy was staring at me from the house across the street. His family had moved in the day before. He came over and introduced himself and then asked what was wrong. He declared us best friends after seeing how upset I was. We've had each other's backs ever since. It was actually him and his mom's idea for treatment."

Jughead listened to her speak, not interrupting until she was through.

"Archie's mom suggested it?" Jughead asked, and Betty nodded.

"Yes. I mean, she obviously saw what Alice was like while I was growing up and when the diet became an obsession and I fainted in their house, scaring the shit out of Archie, Mary Andrews demanded I come to treatment or she'll take it to court. She's a lawyer," Betty added.

"How did Alice take that?" Jughead asked with a slight smirk.

Betty matched it. "She just agreed because while she could attempt to slander Mary's name in our family paper, Mary would bury her in the ground in court."

Jughead chuckled. "I like the sound of Mary."

"Me too," Betty said quietly. "I had always wished she was my mom, as ungrateful as that sounds."

"Not ungrateful," Jughead countered quickly and firmly. "Not ungrateful at all."

Betty looked at him, nodded sharply, and dropped her eyes back to her sandwich, giving Jughead the sense she was through talking.

"Well," he began, looking at the little amount of sandwich she had left. "You did good with your food, Betty. I think we can call it done with the session and I can meet you again for dinner. Also, if you'd like to sign up for weekly sessions, I can get with the yoga instructor and then just sit with you in the classes."

Betty smiled, the first genuine smile he had seen from her. "Thank you."

Jughead smiled back at her. He knew they were just beginning to break the ice, but he was determined to figure out Betty Cooper and what all she was made of.

Author's note: Enjoy! Also, Merry Christmas! Xxx


	3. Chapter 3

Jughead typed something on his computer as he updated Betty's file. He made notation of the progress, albeit little, they made during her first session. She wasn't going to be an easy patient to crack – not like some of the others he had worked with during his time with the treatment facility. Jughead recognized there were two types of patients: the first one was the ones who just really wanted nothing more than for someone to hear them and their silent pleas. Pleas to get them to stop hurting themselves; to stop punishing themselves for things out of their control.

The second and, the one Jughead thought Betty was more likely to be like, was the patients who fought back against the idea of change. Had molded themselves so much into a specific type of being that they weren't sure they could ever find out who they once were. Jughead would be lying if he said he wasn't curious to see who Betty once was. Was she still the little girl Archie Andrews declared as his best friend and pseudo sister? Sighing, he finished off the last bit of his coffee before shutting down his laptop. He needed to catch up with Sweet Pea.

Making his way out of his office, he locked the door and headed down the corridor that would ultimately lead to the main group therapy room. He knew Pea would be there with a few of their new patients right now; it was his turn on that rotation. Pausing outside of the room, he leaned against the doorjamb, eyes scanning the room and landing on Betty. She was wearing an alarmingly baggy sweater and a pair of leggings that were so loose, he was surprised they managed to stay up. Her arms were wrapped around her knees, eyes watching as Sweet Pea addressed the room.

"Betty, would you like a chance to speak?" Pea asked, voice kind. The blonde woman shook her head.

"No thanks," she murmured quietly. "I already had my private session. I'm all talked out."

Sweet Pea looked at her for a moment before nodding and moving onto one of the other patients. One of Fangs', Jughead recalled. Eventually, the session was over, and the group dispersed. Betty looked around, eyes landing on a group of girls who were laughing blatantly at her. She shook her head and looked down, hands moving to pick up a book resting next to her.

Sweet Pea made his way to Jughead, forcing Jughead to draw his eyes away from his patient and the girls who had been laughing at her to him. "What happened with them?" He nodded his head between Betty and the three other girls. Sweet Pea sighed.

"Betty seemed to be willing to open up at first about why she was here, but a girl made it painfully obvious as to why she needed to be in treatment," he muttered. Jughead knew how some of the people could be – especially the girls. He didn't miss the fact that cliques didn't just magically disappear after high school.

Rolling his eyes, Jughead spoke up. "Keep an eye on it, will you?"

"Yeah, you know I will. I don't tolerate that high school hierarchy bull shit anymore than you or Toni," Pea replied. Nodding, Jughead offered his gratitude before making his way to Betty, pausing to look at the book in her hand.

"Brought The Book Thief, huh?" Jughead asked. She nodded but didn't say anything, eyes glued to her page but not moving. Jughead sighed. "Want to talk about it?"

"You mean, Sweet Pea didn't explain about it?" Betty asked, voice indifferent.

"Girls are cruel," Jughead said gently.

"People are cruel," she replied simply. "I can handle a few mean girl wannabees, Jughead."

He nodded. "I'm not doubting that. You just don't have to. You can come to me if it happens again."

She snapped her book shut, eyes flying to his and shining with their fierce brightness.

"Look, I'm not exactly sure what you guys are expecting here, but my main goal is to get the treatment and move on with my life. I don't need friends. I have Archie and that works just fine for me," she snapped, voice hard. Jughead watched her curiously, a slight smile toying at his lips. "What?"

He laughed. "Sorry, but was I supposed to be offended by your rightful outburst? Hang onto your anger, Betty Cooper. It's the only way you'll survive killing yourself." He nodded at her and walked away, feeling her eyes trail after him.

XXX

After a couple of hours passed, Jughead found himself making his way towards Betty, food in hand once more. He knocked on her doorframe, pausing until she turned to face him, before holding up the salad he had this time. "Dinner."

She shook her head but didn't say anything. The defiant jut of her chin and way she held her shoulders was enough to tell him that she was in the mood to fight. He sighed.

"Betty, I can't let you go to bed without eating," he said.

"How would you know I even kept it down?" She snapped.

"The camera in your bathroom," he said simply. Her head snapped to his, eyes widened in alarm, before she shook her head as she spotted the gentle joking belying his statement in his eyes. "Now that that's out of the way, do I need to be worried about you being bulimic?"

She shook her head, relaxing her stiff posture.

"No," she admitted, and he heard the honesty in her words.

"Okay," he replied. "Dinner, let's go."

"Jughead, please," she said, eyes adopting that pained expression they had in his office earlier that afternoon.

"Betty, I can't let you skip meals. I just can't. I wouldn't be doing my job," he remined her.

"It's not like I'm going to tell on you," she laughed.

"Call me a man with a conscience, but I would tell on myself," he admitted. There was a brief smile – so quick he would have missed it had he not been looking, hoping, for it. He returned it. "Come on."

Sighing, Betty stood up and followed him back to his office where they began to repeat the lunch routine all over again. She ate painstakingly slow, trying to be sneaky with pushing her crackers to the side, but he levelled her with a look and she begrudgingly nibbled on one.

"Were there mean girls in your school?" Jughead asked.

"Weren't there in every?" Betty countered, stabbing a piece of lettuce with a bit too much ferocity than Jughead thought was worthy.

"Fair play," he agreed.

"Her name was Cheryl Blossom," Betty said quietly after a few moments. "She's, uh, my cousin. We didn't run in the same circles in high school. She was a cheerleader and I'm, well, me."

"Meaning?" Jughead asked.

"She called me season five Betty Draper when I first tried out for the cheerleading squad that she was captain of. Needless to say, I didn't try out again," Betty chuckled.

Jughead watched her. "Family can be a bitch when they want to be."

"Amen, hallelujah," Betty said dryly. "Just, make sure they don't know that."

Jughead found himself abruptly surprised by how much he liked her sarcasm. Shaking his head, he laughed.

"You'll be alright," he said.

"Damned if I do, damned if I don't, sort of scenario?" Betty asked, smirking down at her salad which, by his quick peek at, was almost completely gone.

"Something like that," he smiled softly. "Nice job on the salad."

She blinked. "Thanks."

It was said offhandedly, but Jughead heard the pride there, nonetheless. He was making the first cracks into her shell. Progress.

Author's note: Enjoy! Xxx


End file.
